Petunia plant named ‘Whip Blurose’

ABSTRACT

A petunia cultivar particularly distinguished by colored flowers between red-purple and purple, compact habit and good basal branching.

Genus and species: Petunia hybrida.

Variety denomination: ‘Whip Blurose’.

BACKGROUND OF THE NEW PLANT

The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of petunia,botanically known as Petunia hybrida, and hereinafter referred to by thecultivar name ‘Whip Blurose’. The new cultivar is asexually reproducedfrom vegetative cuttings and tissue culture resulting from the cross ofthe seed/pod parent 99-264-3, a single purple proprietary line that isunnamed and unpatented×‘Yellow Horizon’, a seed propagated commercialline that is unpatented. ‘Whip Blurose’ is a product of a plannedbreeding program intended to create new petunia plants with blue rosecolored flowers, compact habit, good basal branching and moderatelyvigorous growth.

The new cultivar was created in 1999 in Gilroy, Calif. and has beenasexually reproduced repeatedly by vegetative cuttings and tissueculture in Gilroy, Calif., Andijk, The Netherlands, and Guatemala over athree-year period. The plant has also been trialed at Gilroy, Calif.,Litchfield, Mich. and Andijk, The Netherlands. The present invention hasbeen found to retain its distinctive characteristics through successiveasexual propagations; and this novelty is firmly fixed.

DESCRIPTION OF PHOTOGRAPH

This new petunia plant is illustrated by the accompanying photographwhich shows blooms, buds, and foliage of the plant in full color, thecolors shown being as true as can be reasonably obtained by conventionalphotographic procedures.

The photograph shows the mature flowers.

DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CULTIVAR

The following detailed descriptions set forth the distinctivecharacteristics of ‘Whip Blurose’. The data, which defines thesecharacteristics, were collected from asexual reproductions carried outin Gilroy, Calif. The plant history was taken on 10 months old plantsgrown in one-gallon pots in fall/winter season, in a poly-coveredgreenhouse under 2-4 hours supplemental light and color readings weretaken in the greenhouse in the winter season under natural light. Colorreferences are primarily to The R.H.S. Colour Chart of The RoyalHorticultural Society of London (R.H.S.). Texture description detailswere observed under a dissecting microscope according to The New RoyalHorticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening (1992).

THE PLANT

Classification:

Botanical.—Petunia hybrida.

Commercial.—Petunia.

Form: Semi upright and decumbent.

Growth and branching habit: Good vigorous habit, well-branched, fullplant.

Height: From soil level to top of blooms: Approximately 10-15 cm.

Width: Approximately 40-55 cm including flowers.

Time to produce a finished flowering plant: 9-11 weeks.

Outdoor plant performance: Full sun, free- flowering through the summer,some heat tolerance. Use in hanging baskets, mixed containers, windowboxes and mass plantings.

Time to initiate roots: Approximately 18-23 days in the greenhouse.

Root description: Fibrous, white.

THE LEAVES

Arrangement: Alternate, upper leaves sub-opposite.

Length: 4.0-4.5 cm.

Width: 3.0-4.0 cm.

Leaf blade shape: Ovate.

Leaf margin: Entire.

Apex aspect: Acute.

Base aspect: Acuminate.

Leaf color: Upper side; RHS 137B (green); Underside; RHS 138A (green).

Texture: Few short glandular hairs.

Venation: Palmate.

Venation color: RHS 144A (yellow-green).

Petiole length: 1.0-1.2 cm.

Petiole width: 2.0 cm.

Petiole color: RHS 144B (yellow-green).

Petiole texture: Glandular hairs of various sizes.

THE STEM

Length: 40-55 cm.

Diameter: 0.2-0.3 cm.

Internode length: 2.0-5.0 cm.

Color: RHS 144A (yellow-green).

Texture: Long glandular hair.

Stem anthocyanin: None.

Peduncle color: RHS 144A/B (yellow-green).

Peduncle length: 6.5-8.0 cm.

Peduncle diameter: 1.0 cm.

Peduncle texture: Glandular hairs of various sizes.

THE BUD

Shape: Oblong.

Diameter: 0.4-0.5 cm.

Length: 1.5-3.0 cm.

Color at tight bud: RHS 154C (yellow-green) with RHS 178B (greyed-red)veining.

THE FLOWER

Blooming habit: Continuous all through the growing season. Goodfloriferousness.

Inflorescence type: Flowers solitary in upper leaf axis.

Young flower color: RHS N78A (purple), but brighter; RHS 79A (purple)mid-veins.

Young flower floret diameter: 3.5-4.0 cm.

Mature flower color: Front side, between RHS N78A (purple) and RHS N74A(red-purple), mid-veins RHS N79C (purple), weak minor veining of RHSN78A (purple). Underside, RHS 77B (purple), upper side veining showingthrough, mid veins RHS 152B (yellow-green).

Corolla color inside: base color close to RHS 78A (purple); heavyveining of RHS 79A (purple).

Corolla tube length: 2.5-2.9 cm.

Corolla outside texture: Glandular hairs of various sizes.

Floret form and number of petals: Funnel form, 5 lobed petals (single)fused at base.

Flower (limb) diameter: 4.5-4.8 cm.

Petal apex shape: Praemorse.

Petal margin: Entire.

Petal waviness (ruffle of petal): Weak.

Petal lobation: Weak.

Petal texture: Papillose.

Calyx: 5, deeply lobed sepals, fused at base.

Sepal color: RHS 137B (green).

Sepal length: 1.7-2.0 cm.

Sepal width: 0.3-0.6 cm.

Sepal shape: Oblong.

Sepal apex: Obtuse.

Sepal texture: Short glandular hairs.

Lastingness of individual blooms: 4-8 days.

Fragrance: None observed.

THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS

Stamens: Five, 2 taller and 3 shorter.

Filament color: RHS 11D (yellow), with a RHS 187A (greyed-purple) blotchright under anther.

Pollen color: RHS 202A-B (black).

Pistil: One.

Stigma: RHS 148B (yellow-green).

Style color: RHS 144C (yellow-green).

Fruit seed set: Not observed.

DISEASE AND INSECT RESISTANCE

Not observed.

COMPARISON WITH KNOWN CULTIVARS

Compared to its female parent 99-264-3 in the following ways: The femaleparent has a flower color that is purple with a yellow throat comparedto the blue rose color. The female parent has a more vigorous trailingplant habit. The female parent is later to flower.

Compared to its male parent ‘Yellow Horizon’ in the following ways:‘Yellow Horizon’ has a large yellow flower compared to ‘Whip Blurose’,which has a small blue rose flower color. ‘Yellow Horizon’ grows moreupright than does ‘Whip Blurose’.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct petunia plant as shown and describedherein.